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The Spider Myths Site  

General Fallacies

Myth: Spiders are insects.

Fact: Actually, not
everyone believes this. Around half of my callers did learn in school that
spiders are not insects, but I find it rather appalling that the percentage
is not higher. And how often, in mass media, we read or hear a phrase like
"spiders prey on other insects!" Anyway, spiders belong to the
Class Arachnida, insects to the Class Insecta. Arachnids are as distant
from insects, as birds are from fish. It really is not a trivial distinction!

One correspondent absolutely insisted that spiders are correctly called insects … because his dictionary said so! I'd call such faith touching but somewhat out of touch with reality.